It's widely expected that Phoenix will take Arizona's Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's NBA draft. Beyond that? It's a bit of a crapshoot and the Mavericks' pick at No. 5 (assuming they stay there) likely will come from one of these seven players. Today we look at Wendell Carter. Below are the links to the other profiles if you'd like to jump to a particular player.

Wendell Carter, Duke, freshman6-10, 251, age 19, C/PF

Charlie Neibergall/AP

Duke's Wendell Carter Jr (34) heads to the basket as Kansas' Marcus Garrett (0) and Devonte' Graham (4) watch during the first half of a regional final game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Sunday, March 25, 2018, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Combine measurablesStanding reach: Wingspan: 7-4.5

College statistics: 13.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 56.1 percent shooting

The good: Many experts believe he's a safer bet than his Duke teammate, Marvin Bagley. Carter is a brute in the paint, but also can take his game to the college 3-point line and, presumably, will be a good NBA 3-ball hitter at some point. He also handles the ball well for a big man. He's got a diverse set of skills and is a solid rebounder.

The bad: What sticks out is that he averaged just 11.5 points and 7 rebounds in four NCAA tournament games. He battled foul trouble in a couple of them. Also, he is not the most athletic defender and people wonder about his ability to switch pick and rolls. He's a solid player, but many teams are curious about whether he has a defined skill that he can hang his hat on.

Our thoughts: We like this kind of player. He's solid, pure and simple. And those kinds of players tend to stick around and have very productive careers. Maybe not an All-Star, but the kind of player who can help you win games rather than helping you lose them.

Mav-worthy? In a draft that is full of quality big men, it would be hard to take Carter over somebody like Bamba or Porter. But he's a strong player who might end up being an Andre Drummond-like rebounder. That would be a value pick for any team.

Wendell Carter just pulled off the most bizarre 5-point play to put Duke up over Virginia. Throws an alley-oop to Marvin Bagley that accidentally goes in while a simultaneous off-ball foul is called. Then dunks the inbound. pic.twitter.com/PZ74fjztDo

Finally got around to the Wendell Carter show vs. Evansville. Made 4 3s, showed off three-level scoring ability on way to 27 pts. Would like to see less hesitation and a quicker release on jumpers. Carter definitely has real perimeter skill, though, as scouts know. pic.twitter.com/WsBqvyMXp5